Thursday, August 23, 2012

Temple Mount Not in Our Hands, But Shiloh Sure Is

Temple Mount Not in Our Hands, But Shiloh Sure Is

The holiest spot in the world for Jews, the Temple Mount, Har HaBayit, is policed by Israel in the broad sense, but in every other aspect it isn't in "our hands." It's treated as a "spiritual" pariah by the Israeli Government and most rabbis.

In some perverted use of the concept of holiness, rabbis insist that Temple Mount,Har HaBayit, is too holy for Jews to step on, so they let non-Jews damage and defile it. Instead they have substituted that outer wall aka "the Kotel," impressively built by Herodian, and brainwashed the Jewish People about its centrality to the Jewish religion and history.

In terms of Jewish History, if you're looking to substitute a holy site for the Temple Mount, then it may be more accurate to go a little further. Before Jerusalem was the Jewish Capital there was Shiloh, and that period lasted almost four hundred 400 years.

Tel Shiloh, the site of Ancient Shiloh, where the Mishkan, Tabernacle-forerunner of the Holy Temple-was in Shiloh all that time. That's where the Kohanim, Priests were centered and Jewish pilgrims traveled there to pray.

Today Tel Shiloh is a large open archaeological park open to visitors for tours and prayer. Tel. 02-994-4019 or visit@telshilo.org.il

What's most amazing is that after decades of a Jewish presence and rule, Tel Shiloh still hasn't become a much more popular place for visit and worship.

I've been organizing Women's Rosh Chodesh Prayers at Tel Shiloh for a number of years. Rosh Chodesh is the first day of the Jewish lunar month and a traditional women's holiday. We get together every month for a tour and pray together.

As you can see, there's room for hundreds, even thousands on the very spot where the holy Mishkan, Tabernacle had once stood.

A new, modern, state of the art visitors center is being constructed on the highest point of the Tel. It will be a wonderful way to learn about our ancient history.

Come and discover Shiloh, the ancient and the modern.

Since the next Rosh Chodesh is actually Rosh Hashannah, not a time for travel, I suggest you come to Tel Shiloh on different days, either for special events or when convenient, except for Shabbat or Jewish Holidays when forbidden to travel. I'll publicize whatever official events are planned.